Syndication

Zimbabwe blocked internet access, so Anonymous DDoS’d the government’s websites For several days, starting on Monday 14 January 2019, Zimbabweans have been without Internet access. This is as a result of the Southern Afrikan country’s government, under rumored instructions from General Chiwenga and the leadership of President Emerson Mnangagwa, decided to …

The challenges of moderating online content with deep learning Earlier in December, the internet was abuzz with news of Tumblr’s declaration that it would ban adult content on its platform starting December 17. But aside from the legal, social and ethical aspects of the debate, what’s interesting is how the …

The hidden secrets of insect poop Insect defecation may not seem like one of the pressing scientific inquiries of our time, but in fact the faeces of these wee creatures serves an extraordinary variety of functions in bug and human life. Unlike most animals, many insect species actually use their …

How 2018 became Facebook’s worst year in privacy and security In early December, Facebook’s developer team declared the discovery of a security bug that gave developers access to photos users hadn’t shared on their timeline, including photos they had posted in Facebook Marketplace or Stories. More worryingly, apps could find access to …

The security threats of neural networks and deep learning algorithms This article is part of Demystifying AI, a series of posts that (try to) disambiguate the jargon and myths surrounding AI. History shows that cybersecurity threats evolve along with new technological advances. Relational databases brought SQL injection attacks, web scripting programming languages …

Recycling the world’s plastic garbage could buy you the NFL, Apple and Microsoft This year, I served on the judging panel for The Royal Statistical Society’s International Statistic of the Year. On Dec. 18, we announced the winner: 90.5 percent, the amount of plastic that has never been recycled. Okay …

Five reasons why 2018 was a big year for paleontology A lot happened in the world of paleontology in 2018. Some of the big events included some major fossil finds, a new understanding of our reptile ancestors and a major controversy whose outcome could rewrite human history. The Conversation Africa asked …

I used facial recognition technology on birds As a birder, I had heard that if you paid careful attention to the head feathers on the downy woodpeckers that visited your bird feeders, you could begin to recognize individual birds. This intrigued me. I even went so far as to try …

Women aren’t failing at science — science is failing women Female research scientists are more productive than their male colleagues, though they are widely perceived as being less so. Women are also rewarded less for their scientific achievements. That’s according to my team’s study for United Nations University – Merit …

Facial recognition struggles to interpret the emotions of black faces Facial recognition technology has progressed to a point where it now interprets emotions in facial expressions. This type of analysis is increasingly used in daily life. For example, companies can use facial recognition software to help with hiring decisions. Other …